As danger knocks on Sarah's door, Frank takes his quest for vengeance to the next level with some help from an unexpected ally.
- 555: The police tipline about Frank is 1 (800) 555-0199.
- Bastardly Speech: Billy is being interviewed on television lamenting how his former comrade-in-arms has become a kill-crazy terrorist. Madani is so disgusted she throws a mug at the screen.
- Big Damn Reunion: Micro finally reunites with his daughter.
- Blackmail Backfire: Rawlins, once he's been approved by Deputy Director James to continue trying to silence Castle and David (but then she orders him to retire once everything is done), tries to use this as leverage so he'll stay in the Agency. She immediately fires back that if he tries to push her around in such a fashion, she will expose him to Homeland Security herself and to hell with her career.
- Combat Pragmatist: Frank preps his hideout so well that pretty much everything inside is a weapon. From hidden weapons, light-bulbs packed with gunpowder, explosives planted at strategic spots... and that's not counting using a human head to deliver a hand grenade.
- Didn't Think This Through: Rafi calls Dinah out on just telling Russo that they know about Rawlins and accusing him without any proof whatsoever. He comes up with a more effective strategy involving calling Rawlins' CIA superior in for a friendly chat, knowing she will put pressure on Rawlins.
- Dirty Business: Rawlins confesses to his superior that Castle is a liability since he participated in unorthodox CIA practices and it will also splash on her if she doesn't authorize Frank's elimination. James actually subverts this at the end of the episode, telling Rawlins that his black ops shenanigans disgust her and are a betrayal of everything the Agency stands for.
- Elite Mook: The final mook Frank faces in Micro's HQ is at least good enough at using a gun that he forces Frank to take cover and wonder if it's Russo (he's wearing a mask at the time). When Frank stabs him, he pulls the knife out of his own chest and tries to use it as a weapon. While he doesn't last much longer after that, he puts up far more of a fight than anyone else in that scene.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: The operative communicating back to Russo explains how they got to the lair by tracing the phone...and Russo realizes mid-explanation that his squad are being ambushed.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Even Billy isn't happy about kidnapping a woman and child to get to Castle.
- Failed a Spot Check: It's Castle who notices the damage in the kitchen that shows the Lieberman family has been kidnapped, but only after an hour has passed.
- Friend to All Children: Frank makes it a point, interrupting the conversation between himself, David, and Madani, to walk around the van and comfort Leo.
- Heroic BSoD:
- The episode opens with Frank on a wharf in front of a hobo fire, distraught to have learned the previous episode that Billy is trying to kill him.
- Micro freezes up when told he has to call his daughter and give her instructions to get to safety, and Frank has to make the call instead. Fortunately, Leo is sensible enough to handle the situation.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: Frank is still being blamed for the hotel bomb that Lewis set off.
- He's Back!: Preparing to finish things, Frank spray paints a bulletproof vest with the skull, symbolically becoming the Punisher again.
- Home Field Advantage: To 11. Frank has time to prepare for the arrival of Russo's and Rawlins's men. Thus the battle is decidedly one-sided.
- I Have Your Wife: Sarah and Zach are kidnapped by Rawlins and Russo to use as leverage against Frank and Micro.
- Impersonating an Officer: Two of Russo's men kidnap the Liebermans by entering their home disguised as police officers. Sarah's smart enough to work it out, warning Leo and Zach to run. Leo gets away; Zach doesn't. So neither does Sarah.
- Internal Reveal: Sarah, Zach and Leo finally learn that "Pete" is Frank Castle/the Punisher. Leo finally learns that her father is still alive.
- Lock-and-Load Montage: We get treated to one as Frank prepares for Russo's men. He hides weapons, sets up a few booby-traps, and has time to recreate his iconic costume.
- Mook Horror Show: One takes place at Micro's quarters, where Frank takes out each of Russo's men one by one.
- More Dakka: Franks lets rip with a SAW light machine-gun during his battle with the mercenaries.
- Off with His Head!: Frank decapitates one of Russo's men and straps a grenade on it before throwing it as an explosive.
- Pyrrhic Victory: Rawlins is able to convince his superior, Deputy Director Marion James, to allow him to continue the actions he's been doing so far for the sake of silencing the witnesses to Operation Cerberus and save the Agency from being publicly shamed, but she makes it perfectly clear that she's had it with his atrocities and the shitstorm they have caused and once he's done removing those loose ends, he is going to retire whether he wants to or not.
- Say My Name: During the big battle scene in Micro's HQ, Frank keeps shouting Russo's name as he thinks Russo is there in person. He seems a bit insulted when he realizes he isn't.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Deputy Director James scorns the usual back-covering, dirt-shoveling, keep-it-all-quiet attitude that Rawlins seems to exemplify, and clearly expects her to follow, too. She furiously tells him that yes, he will clean up the mess he made, but afterwards he will retire, or she will personally deliver him to Madani and Homeland, no matter what the cost to her career or reputation."This is not what we stand for, Bill, not what we do!"
- Scapegoat: Rawlins proposes to lay all the blame on Russo to keep the CIA from becoming publicly besmirched. A disgusted James fires back that if that doesn't work, he will be the scapegoat.
- Shout-Out: Micro asks Frank if he plans to go after Russo like a "one-man Wild Bunch."
- Tears of Joy: Both Micro and Leo are reduced to tears upon seeing each other again.
- Trash the Set: The raid on Micro's hidey hole — though most of the damage is really from Frank.
- Trashcan Bonfire: Frank is shown with several other bums warming himself by one. At first it looks like he has nowhere else to hide as New York's Most Wanted, but it's later shown he's staking the place out to make sure Madani does Come Alone.
- Villainous Breakdown: The moment that he finds out everything he's done for the sake of keeping his power in the Agency has instead put him on the path to a forced retirement, Rawlins starts to snap and only gets worse over the next few episodes.
- You Make Me Sick: Marion tells Rawlins that he disgusts her.
